In Great Ruin

[Zelrius]

Winds rose and fell, kicking sand left and right through the lands. The oasis of Suravani was unlike its usual self, the general quiet horsebreeding that went about and the usually sleepy tribes that inhabited the area. However, today was different. It was now a bustling hive of activity, organized by the Keep of Suravani, under orders from the Jya. The idea was to draw in Fallien's military leaders into a single spot, let them train and drill the men and women that served in the "armies" of tribes into a force to actually be reckoned with. Of course, Zelrius Blackfyre was force to go along, although falling barely under the rank of " Military Leader". Nonetheless, the Jya still considered him a kind of officer, given that the boy had personal command of a twenty unit troop along with his own slaves, servants, and even friends that worked under him. Thus he made the great trek across the desert with the great deal of the soldiers of the Keep to Suravani's oasis, where he was now. Zelrius had already dreaded going, plenty enough for his subordinate's to tell, and was more then eager to take as many detours as possible. In the midst of these detours, a tribe that they had passed that was headed to the Oasis as well had obtained some information. The like of which intrigued the boy to no end.

They told Zelrius and his units of the reports of a watchman for the tribe. The boy whom was the afore mentioned watchman and other fellow units of the sort were doing their usual thing, looking out for any hostile forces such as harpies or the Cult of Mitra. In doing so, they got caught in a sandstorm and took shelter in one of the biggest ruins the boy had seen. They didn't dare venture into a land they couldn't see, but still did not leave the Ruins. After the dust had subsided, they went to their supply camp and made up torches and what not. The boy didn't like the thought of the entire watch team going but was easily shoved aside and told that he either goes or dies. In fear of his life, the boy went, albeit trudged along with the other watchmen slowly and lagged behind. Step by step, the Watchmen made their way into the great ruins. The boy had recalled that on the third step that all the men had taken, each of them reported a strange presence, that of a nasty magic. This scared the boy enough to make him stay right where he was at, but not the others. No, they made it not another thirty meters before the torches all went out instantly and the screaming began. At that point the boy ran, quote, "Like hell". He reported the site to the tribe he belonged to, an investigation team was put together. And once more the same thing repeated, though more than just one stayed back this time.

The tribe claimed that ruin site taboo, and told Zelrius that if he dared to go near, to think twice before doing so. This only made the young "Lord" want it more. Of course, at first he'd have to ignore it, and push on to the oasis. But now it had been weeks at the Oasis, and he was growing tired of the constant training and drilling. Finally, he had had enough. The boy was packing one afternoon when one of his yet closest friends, Gwendolyn stopped him. Her silhouette in the opening of the tent, leaned against one of the poles that kept the thing up, a cold stare at Zelrius.

"What do you think you're doing, Zelrius?"

"It's Lord Blackfyre to you during the day. You may be a friend, but rules are rules. You will refer to your superiors as Lord and then their surname. And as to what I think I am doing, that is none of your damn business, woman."

Angered by his snide comments and the way he sneered the final word, Gwendolyn drew a knife from her boot and was standing above Zelrius, whom was crouched down at a sand bomb, working on the logistics of it.

"I could drop my knee, and drive this knife into your back, still feeling superior, Lord"

To which Zelrius only began to laugh. Followed by Gwendolyn's laughter, though she never knew why. To her it was always a mystery why Zelrius's humor seemed to push of death threats with little difficulty.

"I am off to the Ruins that the Ahketamika had brought up on our way up. I cannot pass up this chance to find something that may actually be of value in the way of magic or knowledge."

"What about the men? And their training?"

"I am leaving all that to Michael and yourself, He knows what to do and you can keep them in check."

"Now hold on, I-"

Before the girl could even finish Zelrius was gone on by himself. He had taken off so swiftly, that by the time she had even processed that the boy had disappeared and went outside to find him, She couldn't even hear his feet shuffling in the sand nearby. Thus leaving the boy out in the Desert, alone.

[Blodwen]

The great lumbering sand beast bellowed mournfully, the great folds underneath its throat shaking with agitation. Like a behemoth or leviathan it was huge, gargantuan even, with six huge legs (two pairs fore, one pair aft), and had yellow fur much like the sand it lived on. With splayed even toes it stopped its heavy but long, agile body from sinking with balance and poise, and its tail swept from side to side, covering their tracks as they strode.

On its back Blodwen barely held on. She had been told by some strange nomads that this elusive creature - this eglekhai - was the only way to properly traverse the desert quickly. Its thin but soft fur gave an excellent seat, even for the backwards legs of a satyr-faun, but the back was still wide and caused bruising. Without any reigns but for a rope that attached to a hoop in the beast's nose, Blodwen found her inexperience of animals begin to prove fatal. As the eglekhai leapt with great, far bounds she saw the earth move towards then fire away to her, and the sensation at first made her feel sick. Over time of course she got used to it, but it still did not stop her from wanting the beast to stop.

But stop meant to slow down, and to slow down meant to not get the ruins at all. And Blodwen needed to get to those ruins before sundown otherwise the eglekhai would not ride. It was fierce and powerful, fast and useful, but it had one weakness, according to the nomads, and that was that it was afraid of the dark. She had been told it would get her to where she wanted by sunset, so long as it leapt, so long as she endured this torture of bumps and distaste. One thought occupied her mind, and that was if this beast was afraid of the dark here, then she should be too. For why ever would a huge hunter like this ever be terrified, without a realistic reason?

"Ger'ni snek!" she swore, as the thing suddenly decided to skip around a rock, "Zi gem anar!"

So far her search for a cure for her father had led her to the strangest corners of the world. She had hunted the fungi in the Red Forest, uprooted brass buildings in Alerar, gone into the pits of the dirtiest brothels in Radasanth, all to search for medicine. Rumours, stories, murmurs and even myths had made her search wider and wider in the past few months as she sought, but each time nothing came of it. And now she found herself racing across the Fallien desert on the back of a six-legged brush-tailed cat-thing, half-flying, half-falling off, all on the whim of some old crazy man in a library who had said he knew some woman who knew some Ahketamika who had seen ruins of a fabled place - which apparently might have some sort of healing waters.

It was worth the oppurtunity anyway. Blodwen would sooner travel into the depths of Dhethian before she saw her father, her last relation, die.